1. Discipline.
“I’m quitting, this is it.” I whispered under my breath for the thousandth time in my ballet class. Motivation can only get you so far, but discipline is the real kicker.
At least that’s what I tell myself, and so far, it hasn’t faltered. I learned discipline from dance by persistence, because there’s no “cheat sheet”. How can I be happy with my performance, or anything, if I can’t troubleshoot it from the root when problems arise? In life, I guarantee you that this can apply to anything: bad habits; consistent problems; troubling relationships. To dig deep shows that not only you care, but there’s a reason you do all this work. I have discipline to show my sister that if I can make it out, so can she. I have discipline to prove to myself that beyond a surface level, if I have anything, it’s work ethic. If I can hone this skill to gift to my future self, I know she’ll take it to the grave.
2. Financial management.
“How does your mom need gas money, again?” is the question that resides in not only my head, but my dad’s head, constantly. Being disabled by Multiple Sclerosis, my mother is a strong person but it took away her ability to work, right before I was born. With her only source of income being her check in the mail for existing, it doesn’t seem like much. Yet, this money disappears whenever she “needs” it. My dad and I always share moments of exhaustion when we spot another bottle of vodka under the sink, because he doesn’t drink anymore, so she overcompensates for it. To pay it forward to my future self, I recognize how growing up in a low-income household has shaped my view of money, and how stingy your environment enables you to be with it.
My dad, being our provider, has taught me how to be financially smart, and for me, it starts with scholarships, which is where this one comes into play. Not only will this scholarship help take the burden off of both of us so I can go to college, but it’ll open me up almost all of the internships in the Data Analytics field that require you to be in college to even apply. This will segue me into a job in my desired field, which will kickstart my career.
3. Staying true to myself in a sea of similarities.
One thing I have always struggled with in life is not giving into peer pressure to be alike. So much so, that I’m currently focusing my college essay on that topic. To share a snippet of my feelings, being a mixed girl in this world isn’t close to easy. I’ve faced exclusion from both the black and white communities my whole life, and it was difficult to grasp not only “why didn’t they want me?”, but why it’s so crucial for my own mental health to stay true to myself, no matter how different I may be. When I was younger, I used to stare at white girls all the time, envious of their straight, beautiful hair. My “frizzy”, “untamed”, and “nappy” hair, was nowhere close in competition to theirs. Envious yet again, I’d wonder why I couldn’t relate to any of the other black kid’s experiences. It was like having the “Lite” version of a video game.
Yet, at the end of the day, if I can consistently hold myself to these standards, I know my future self will be beyond grateful for the work I’ve pushed so hard for.
To secure a better future for myself, I will commit to focus, excellence, and passion.
Focus is critical for achieving my current and future goals. Excellence ensures I accomplish these goals efficiently while creating the best outcomes for myself. Passion will fuel my focus and excellence, keeping me fulfilled throughout my academic, professional, and personal journeys, for which I have several goals.
My academic goals revolve around my performance and the quality of my education. When considering transferring for financial reasons, I prioritized the chemistry class schedules and electives. Many less expensive colleges offered only evening classes and lacked a diverse pool of electives, failing to meet my goal of a rigorous, specialized, and practical curriculum. Another goal is to maintain an excellent GPA. Although a GPA is only one part of an application to graduate school, having an excellent GPA is a great way to show dedication and interest in my studies. A scholarship will benefit these goals by providing the financial support to remain at a university with an outstanding chemistry department I trust and respect.
My employment goals include the industries I want to join and the contributions I want to make to my career field. I plan to become an environmental chemist, focusing on environmental remediation methods and green synthesis techniques for chemicals like pesticides, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. My ultimate goal is to become a senior environmental chemist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contributing to environmental remediation by mitigating waste production. My work will improve waste management, industrial synthesis methods, and production practices across sectors such as agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. By designing and implementing strategies for waste reduction, I will contribute to the national goal of significantly reducing environmental pollution.
A scholarship will provide financial freedom by reducing my student loan debt. Less debt will allow me more freedom in selecting employment opportunities, while more debt might force me to prioritize a high salary, potentially affecting the nature of my work. Additionally, smaller minimum monthly student loan payments will result in more of my payments going toward the principal of the loan rather than interest, shortening the repayment period.
My personal development goals concern how I will better myself professionally and internally outside of class. Professional development will include working in laboratories on campus, forming a rapport with my professors and peers, and attending seminars hosted by the chemistry department. My general goal is to improve my scientific capabilities and relationships through continuing my academic extracurricular activities. As for my internal development, my general goal is to partake in hobbies to remain personally fulfilled. I will read more news, scientific papers, and fiction. Additionally, I plan to have more time for my student clubs, such as Anime Club and Swing Dance Club. A scholarship will grant me the freedom to pursue lab involvement on campus and to participate in my interests, as opposed to spending more time working in jobs unrelated to my professional interests.
By committing to focus, excellence, and passion, I will secure a better future for myself, supported by the financial freedom a scholarship provides.
